Io IoJupiter I
Io [EYE-oh] can be classified as one of the most unusual moons in our solar system. Active volcanism on Io was the greatest unexpected discovery at Jupiter. It was the first time active volcanoes had been seen on another body in the solar system. The Voyagers observed the eruption of nine volcanoes on Io altogether. There is also evidence that other eruptions occurred between Voyager encounters. Plumes from the volcanoes extend to more than 300 kilometers (190 miles) above the surface, with material being ejected at speeds up to a kilometer (.6 miles) per second.
Io's volcanoes are apparently due to heating of the satellite by tidal pumping. Io is perturbed in its orbit by Europa and Ganymede, two other large satellites nearby, then pulled back again into its regular orbit by Jupiter. This tug-of-war results in tidal bulging as great as 100 meters (330 feet) on Io's surface.
The temperature on Io's surface is about -143° C (-230° F); however, a large hot spot associated with a volcanic feature measured about 17° C (60° F). Scientists believe the hot spot may be a lava lake, although the temperature indicates the surface is not molten. This feature is reminiscent of lava lakes on Earth.
Io is composed primarily of rocky material with very little iron. Io is located within an intense radiation belt of electrons and ions trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field. As the magnetosphere rotates with Jupiter, it sweeps past Io and strips away about 1,000 kilograms (1 ton) of material per second. The material forms a torus, a doughnut shaped cloud of ions that glow in the ultraviolet. The torus's heavy ions migrate outward, and their pressure inflates the Jovian magnetosphere to more than twice its expected size. Some of the more energetic sulphur and oxygen ions fall along the magnetic field into the planet's atmosphere, resulting in auroras.
Io acts as an electrical generator as it moves through Jupiter's magnetic field, developing 400,000 volts across its diameter and generating an electric current of 3 million amperes that flows along the magnetic field to the planet's ionosphere.
Discovered by ................ Simon Marius & Galileo Galilei Date of discovery ...................................... 1610 Mass (kg) .......................................... 8.94e+22 Mass (Earth = 1) ................................. 1.4960e-02 Equatorial radius (km) ................................ 1,815 Equatorial radius (Earth = 1) .................... 2.8457e-01 Mean density (gm/cm^3) ................................. 3.55 Mean distance from Jupiter (km) ..................... 421,600 Rotational period (days) ........................... 1.769138 Orbital period (days) .............................. 1.769138 Mean orbital velocity (km/sec) ........................ 17.34 Orbital eccentricity .................................. 0.004 Orbital inclination ................................... 0.040° Escape velocity (km/sec) ............................... 2.56 Visual geometric albedo ................................ 0.61 Mean surface temperature ............................. -143°C Magnitude (Vo) ......................................... 5.02
Animations of Io
Io
(GIF, 192K)
Voyager 1 took this picture of Io
on March 4, 1979. The brown, orange areas are probably covered by
sulphur or a mixture containing sulphur. The light areas may be sulphur
dioxide snow and the pock-marks are mostly volcanic
calderas up to 200 kilometers (124
miles) across. Mountainous regions exist near both poles, with some
features rising 8 kilometers (5 miles) or more above their surroundings.
(Credit: Calvin J. Hamilton, and NASA)
Hubble Resolves Volcanoes on Io
(GIF, 192K;
JPEG, 40K;
caption)
This image of Jupiter and its satellite Io were taken on March 5, 1994.
Io is too small for ground-based telescopes to see the surface details.
Several of the volcanoes periodically are active because Io is heated
by tides raised by Jupiter's powerful gravity. The volcano Pele
appears as a dark spot surrounded by an irregular orange oval in the
lower part of the image. The orange material has been ejected from
the volcano and spread over a huge area. Though the volcano was first
discovered by Voyager, the distinctive orange color of the volcanic
deposits is a new discovery in these Hubble Space Telescope images.
(Voyager missed it because its cameras were not sensitive to the
near-infrared wavelengths where the color is apparent).
(Credit: John Spencer, Lowell Observatory; NASA)
Hubble Discovers Bright New Spot on Io
(GIF, 192K;
caption)
This pair of Hubble images of Jupiter's volcanic
moon Io shows the surprising emergence of a 320-kilometer (200-mile)
diameter, large yellowish-white feature near the center of the moon's
disk (photo on the right). Scientists suggest the spot may be a new
class of transient feature on the moon. For comparison, the
photo on the left was taken in March 1994 before the spot emerged,
and shows that Io's surface had undergone only subtle changes since it
was last seen by the Voyager 2 probe in 1979.
The new spot in the July 1995 Hubble image replaces a smaller whitish
spot seen at about the same location in the March 1994 image. "The new
spot surrounds the volcano Ra Patera, which was photographed by Voyager,
and is probably composed of material, probably frozen gas, ejected from
Ra Patera by a large volcanic explosion or fresh lava flows,"
according to John Spencer of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
(Credit: J. Spencer, Lowell Observatory/NASA)
Volcanic Plumes
(GIF, 27K)
Voyager 2 took this picture of Io
on the evening of July 9, 1979, from a range of 1.2 million kilometers
(745,700 miles). On the limb of Io are two blue volcanic eruption
plumes about 100 kilometers (62 miles) high. These two plumes were first
seen by Voyager 1 in March 1979 and are designated Plume 5 (upper) and
Plume 6 (lower). They apparently had been erupting for a period of at
least four months and probably longer. A total of six plumes were seen
by Voyager 2, all of which were first seen by Voyager 1. Plume 1, the
largest volcano viewed by Voyager 1, was no longer erupting when Voyager
2 arrived. Plume 4 was not viewed on the edge of Io's disc by Voyager 2
and, therefore, it is not known whether it was still erupting.
(Courtesy NASA/JPL)
Loki Volcano
(GIF, 21K)
Voyager 1 took this picture of the Loki volcano on March 4, 1979. The
volcanic eruption can be seen on the limb of Io.
(Credit: Calvin J. Hamilton, and NASA)
Loki Patera
(GIF, 341K)
This is a close up view of Io's northern hemisphere.
The central feature has been named Loki Patera. The large dark
area might be a lake of liquid sulphur with a raft of solid sulphur
inside.
(Credit: Calvin J. Hamilton, and NASA)
Haemus Mons
(GIF, 220K)
Haemus Mons is a mountain located near the south pole and in this image
near the terminator of Io. Its base
measures about 200 by 100 kilometers (124 by 62 miles). Several mountain
peaks are found on Io some measuring as high as 10 kilometers (6.2 miles)
tall.
(Credit: Calvin J. Hamilton, and NASA)
Volcano Pele
(GIF, 358K)
The heart shaped feature in the center of this image was caused by
volcanic ejecta thrown out of the
eruptive Pele.
(Credit: Calvin J. Hamilton, and NASA)
Ra Patera
(GIF, 412K)
Ra Patera is a large shield volcano with multi colored flows. This image
shows at least a dozen dark flows originating from the central dark vent.
Some of these flows are 300 kilometers (186 miles) in length.
(Credit: Calvin J. Hamilton, and NASA)
